Wave-motor.



'Nor/30mm@L 7 A PATENTBD JUNB,9,1903..

rs'. NOBLE-TODD.

WAVE MOTOR.

APPLIoA'HoN FILED rma. 2o, 1961.

' :s SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

No. 730.560. `PJFEBTTED JUNE 9; 1903. G. `NQBLEZTODDl K WAVE MOTOR.APPLICATION PLED PEB. 20, 1901. l N0 MODEL. SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Patented une 9, 1903.

PATENT Orinda.A

wAvE-ivxoTon.`

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 730,560, dated June 9,19t-)3. Application tiled February 20, 19071. Serial No. 48,151. (Nomndehl To a/Z whom, it wif/,ty conce/711e:

Be it known thatvI, GEORGE NoBL-Tonn, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and Stateof California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWave-Motors; and I do declare the following to be a full` clear, andexact description ofthe invention,such as will enable others skilled inthe art to-Which it appertains to make and use the same, reference beinghad tothe eccomi panying drawings, and to the letters marked thereon,which form apart of this ,specicav tion.

This invention relates to a novel wave-motor arranged and adapted toobtain power from all the Wave motions-viz., the inflow tide, theoutflow tide or ebb, the rise of the waves, their fall, and the push,dash, or beating action of the waves.

The primal object of this invention is to form a darn or breakwater bymeans of supports or piers secured to the ocean bed or bottom, saidsupportsor piers being arranged and adapted to converge the Water, so asto cause it to concentrate and pass through nar-V row passage-Ways orchannels between said piers.

The second object is to place wave-motors in said passage-ways orchannels between said supports or piers, said wave-motors be'` ingarranged and adapted as rotary wave-motors or combined rotary and leverwave-mo# tors actuated by the Water moving in said passage-ways orchannels.

The third object ist-o arrange and adapt said wave-motors to be actuatedby the inflow Water falling upon and flowing over said wave-motors andby the outtlow Water tlowing u nder and against said Wavemotors,t`orming inclined treadmills or overshot and un- The fifth object is to formsaid rotary wavemotor of troughs, propeller devices, or forming anendless rotatable chain arranged vand ladapted to form an inclinedmechanical seashore upon which the inilowwaves are forced to fall justas they would upon the natural shore, the ebb or return water washingunder and against said chain, thereby rotating'said chain.

The sixth object is to form said -piers so as tobe used as a solid,strong, indestructible, and economical support and foundation for anydesired superstructure or building and at the same time within or uponsaid pier or superstructure form a powerhouse or storageroom and alsoadapt said pier to converge and concentrate both the inliow and outflowwater and form a support for au eudless- 'chain Wave-motor.

The seventh Objectis to provide "means for storing and equalizing theerratic inooustaut wave action into a steady controllable power and tothereby generate electricity, and thus transmit the power to any desiredplace for general use. Y

These objects are obtained by the devices illustrated in the drawings',in which- Figure l is a plan view of my invention with one end pier insectional detail and the cover or roof removed from the next pier tobetter illustrate the pier `construction and power machinery. Fig."2 isa sea-view front elevation showing the piers Ysupporting' a pavilionsuperstructure. Fig. 3 is a side elevation with the end pier removed toshow the v rotary and lever wave-motor, which is illus- Vtrated in acentral longitudinal section view.

Fig. 4: is a rear view of the rotary and lever wave-motor, parte beingin sectional detail. g

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of forms'of the rotatable endless chainof Vtroughs which form the rotary wave-motor.` Fig. 7 isa rear viewsectional detail of the lever culvert or chute-box as constructed ofboiler-iron or other materials to form the lever wave-motor. Fig. 8 is aside view sectional detail of the mechanism to store and equalize thewave power and convert it into electricity. Fig. 9 isa sectional planview of the roller-sprockets for the trough-chain. Fig. 10 isanexaggerated sectional plan detail of the guidey rails,roller-supports, and hoisting Vdevice for IOO vsteps K.

the lever culvert or chute-box. Fig. ll is a sectional side view of oneof the piers. Fig. 12 is a side view of a common hydraulic compressorwhich may be substituted for the hydraulic air-compressor shown in Fig.8.

Similarl letters of reference indicate the same parts in the drawingsand the several figures thereof.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, in Figs. l, 2, 3, andll, A indicates a pier formed of a series of piles B, which are drivendown into the ocean bed or bottom to form a diamond-shaped pen. Thepiles B are secured top and bottom by timbers C with blocks D, outsideof which are driven down into the ocean bed or bottom planks of flattimbers E, which are bolted to the timbers C and blocks D and form asmooth closed outside wall from the bottom of the ocean, projectingupward out of the ocean beyond high-tide water. This wall is furthertied and braced together by longitudinal beams F and cross-timbers G.This pen is then filled with a rosin cement and rubble-stone mixedtogether, so as to set and harden in the water into one common'hardstone, thereby expelling the water from the pen and filling it up solidwith this composite stone material, all except an interior room, whichis used as a power and storage house for the power machinery, as seen inthe second pier on the right of Fig. l and further illustrated in Fig.l1. This power-house is provided with a sloping roof H, provided withskylights I and an entrance-door J, through which a descent is.v madeinto the room by means of In this room is located pumps L, arranged topump water from a reservoir M into a hydraulic compressor N, whichforces it through a governor R into a Water-engine O, arranged to bethereby driven and in turn driving a dynamo P. The exhaust-water fromthe water-engine O is discharged by it into a pipe Q, returning to thereservoir M, and again drawnby the pumps L to again travelaround thesame endless circuit. The said mechanism is turther and `more clearlyillustrated in Fig. 8, in which the hydraulic compressor consists of acylinder provided with a piston-head S, held down by compressed air atthe desired number of pounds pressure to the square inch above it, thepiston-head resting upon the water under it pumped in by the pumps L. Itwill naturally follow that the higher up the pistonhead S rises in thecylinder the greater will be the compressed-airpressure above it, and

thus a great power can be stored in a smallder a continuous evenpressure and speed, thereby generatingelectricity,whereby power can becontinuously and steadily transmitted to a desired distance for generalpurposes and use. It will be obvious that the same result can beachieved through the ordinary hydraulic weight-compressor, as in Fig.12. A series of the said piers (each provided with similar storage orpower rooms and similar power machinery) are arranged parallel to eachother out in the ocean along the seashore, each pier-being sloped ordiamondpointed on both its ends, so that the series of piers form aseries of converging passageways or channels in the front and rear ofthe piers, which are covered by a platform or roof T, the said channelsconverging to and connecting with narrow parallel passage-ways betweensaid piers, in which are arranged buoyant floating lever culverts orchuteboXes U, connected to the piers by means of sleeve arms or shaftsVand bolted or otherwise provided with guide racks or rails W', arrangedto be held by and move up-and down between grooved rollers X, wherebythe said boxes U are supported front and rear on both sides from eachpier as said boxes rise and fall with the water upon which they restbuoyant. The construction ofthe said lever culvert or chute-box and itsmechanism is further illustrated in Figs. 7 and 10. The said box-frame,Fig. 7, is preferably formed of buoyant wood pieces or of boileriron orsheet-steel riveted together to form the two sides, top, and bottom andalso the inclined central partition-plates Y,reinforced by a buoyantmaterial or wood timbers Z, the 'pivotal arms or sleeve-shafts V and theguide rails or racks W being bolted or riveted to the side pieces andthe guide-rollers X, secured to the piers A, as further illustrated inFig. 10. Two sheet-metal drums or rollers ct', Fig. 9, are provided withsprocket or chain wheels b', which are made fast to central shafts c andjournaled to rot-ate in the pendulum culvert or chute-box, as in Fig. 4.Chains are secured around said sprocketwheels b and provided withrollers forming carriages, to which are secured boards to form anendless chain oftroughs, as in Figs. 5 and 6. The central shaft c' ofthe upper dru mis made the drive-shaft and provided on one end with acrank d', while the other central shaft c of the other chain-sprocketdrum or roller is only used as a bolt-shaft to secure said drum to thelower end of said pendulum-box as an idler-roller for the endless chainof troughs, which thus are arranged to travel around upon the said twodrums, rolling upon and under the central inclined plates Y. One of thesaid pivotal arms or sleeve-shafts V of the said pendulum-box isprovided with a crank-arm e', as illustrated in Fig. 4L, and beingpivoted pendent from and between the piers, as in Fig. l, the saidcrank-arm e is connected to the pump L, and thereby actuates themachinery in one pier, while the ICO IlO

trough-chain is connected to a similar pump L and actuates the machineryin the other crank-arm d', and thereby drive its pump L in the oppositepier, and thereby actuate its connecting-compressor N, Water-engine 0,.

and dynamo P, as in Fig. l, the said-wave action being furtherillustrated in Fig. 3, in which it is seen that the endless trough-chainis caused to rotate by both the inflow and onttlow water, while it isapparent that as the box is pendent from the top of the piers andfloating upon the water inthe channel between the piers it will becaused to move vup and down in pendulum-lever fashion by the leastdisturbance of the water, the buoyancy of the box being produced by thewood timbers Z and the wood planks f', forming the troughs 'otV theendless chain.

In order to hoist the wave-motors up out of the Water for repairs orother purposes, the front guide-rollers X are provided with teethengaging teeth in the front edge of the guide rails orracks W, and theshafts of the said rollers X are made long` enough to connect the saidtwo rollers fast on each end of said shaft g and the ends of said shaftprovided either with crank-handles h.' or worm-wheels t", meshing with aworm-screw shaft or studj', provided with a gear meshing With a gear ona shaft k', provided with a lever or hand-wheel Z', by means of eitherof which devices the said pendulum-box and wave-motor may be readilyhoisted up out of the water or lowered down into it by hand or otherpower or held fast immovable, forming only a `rotatable wave-motor, asdesired. The dynamo P is also provided withaclutch-lever'mf,whereby itmay be started or stopped at will, Figs. l and 3. A similar clutch-leverdevice may be applied to the crank-arms ofthe Wave-motors,

into the ocean bed or bottom, upon the top of I which electric wires p'are strung to conduct the electric currents from the piers to anydesiredplace on shore or land for use as elec 'of Water. vThe platform of thepavilion or sea promenade r may be provided with handrailinglu andcovered by a roof s and electric lights t and stairways g', forming avaluablev and desirable seaside resort for, pier lishiug, promenades,and other amusements in the summer seasons.

In order to prevent the surf or waves from dashing up out of the boxes Uonto the top of the piers, a close-fitting dashboard or fender o isprovided in front of each box, and the sides and front of said boxes Uare cut on a curve to allow of the free rise and fall of said boxes inas close touch with said fenders o as may be desired when said boxes areused as combined lever and rotary Wave-motors; but such will not benecessary when said boxes are held fast, immovable, and adapted toformrotary wave-motors alone.

Operation: In the operation of my invention as a combined lever androtary wave-motor the least wave rippleor disturbance of the Watercauses a rise and fall of the buoyant pendent front end of the boxes U,thereby acting as ahuge pu mp-handle lever,working the crankarms ebackwardand forward or up and down,-and thereby Working one set of thepumps L, While the other set of pumps L is worked by the rotation of theother crankarms d', caused by the rotation of the series of endlesschains of troughs within the said boxes U, the said troughs being causedto travel upward by the intlowing tide, the rise, fall, Weight, and pushof the incoming waves, the said troughs being further additionallycaused to travel downward by the speed, Weight, and pressure ot theoutfiow water or ebb, which is, like the incoming tide-water,

converged and 'concentrated against the troughs by means ofthe'passage-ways or channels between the piers converging from a Wideentrance for the water at the points-or ends of the piers down to anarrow kpassageway or channel through the boxes U, over and under theendless chain of troughs, thereby obtaining a continuous rotation ofsaid troughs in one common direction. vThe resultant commotion anddisturbance of the water caused by the contending forces of theincomingand out-goingwater a'ctingupon the endless chain of troughs alsoimparts a rapid up-and-down lever motion to the boxes U, and thus thepumps L connected to said boxes U are actuated by said motion of saidboxes, and the pumps Lconnected to the endless chain ol" troughs areactuated by said rotation of said troughs and pump Water from IIO thereservoirs M into the hydraulic com p resse r sired speed, therebygenerating electric cnrrents,.which are conducted by Wires p to theshore or land to a desired place or places for use as'electrc power,light, heat, and other purposes. Y

The inclined. endless chain of troughs or propeller devices form atraveling partition or sea-wall, and it will be obvious that thearrangement of this inclined sea-wall of Atroughs or propeller devicesforms a megreat or small, of the water causing a corre-` sponding motionof said boxes U.

It will be obvious that a continuous rotaryl power alone can be producedby simply securing the boxes U fast to the piers and dispensing with thependulum or lever motion thereof. It will also be obvious that thesupports or piers may be constructed, as illustrated in Figs. l and 11,solely of the piles and timbers, thereby forming the pen, provided witha power house or room formedv within or on the pier, without the use ofany filling-in material Where greater economy of construction isdesired. It will also be necessary to connect the piers to the shore bymeans of one or more bridges n', upon which pedestrians may pass andmachinery and other material be hauled, and also serve as a support forthe Wires p' for conducting the electric currents to the shore andtransmitting electric light, heat, and power to the desired place.

I do not limit myself to the exact construction illustrated anddescribed, as such may be varied in minor details and be within theprovince of my inventions-as, for instance, channels or passage-Ways maybe excavated in the shore itself and the piers A dispensed with and theboxes U, provided with the rotary wave-motors, be arranged and concretedin said channels or passage-ways to be actuated by the tides and Wavesflowing into and out of said channels.

It will be further understood that the boxes U are provided with aninclined curved top adapted to force the incoming water over and aroundthe top of the trough-chain, and an inclined bottom adapted to convergeand concentrate the outgoing water against and around the bottom of thesaid trough-chain, as illustrated in Fig. 3. 1

It will be understood that the frame culvert or chute-boxesU are formedwithin an inclined central partition or wall, which form two separatepassages, one above for the incoming tide and waves and the other belowfor the outgoing tide or ebb and waves which are concentrated andconverged upon and under said central partition platform, or wall, thesaid platform- Vor Wall being provided with an endless chain of troughsor propeller devices surrounding said platform or Wall and traveledthereupon by the waves and tides.

Having described my invention, what I claim isl. A rotatable Wave-motorcomprising an endless chain of troughs or propellers, provided withsupports, said supports being arranged and adaptedto converge andconcentrate the waves and tides upon said motor, thereby rotating saidmotor.

2. A rotatable wave-motor comprising an endless propeller-chain providedwith supports, said su pports being arranged and adapted to converge andconcentrate both the incoming tide-water and the outgoing tide or ebbwater, upon said motor, thereby rotating said motor.

3. A rotatable wave-motor comprising an endless chain of troughs orpropeller-s inclined upward from the ocean, and provided with means orsupports arranged and adapted to converge and concentrate the waves andtides upon said motor, thereby rotating said motor.

4:. A rotatable wave-motor comprising an endless propeller-chaininclined upward from the ocean, and provided with means or supportsarranged and adapted to converge and concentrate the incoming tide-wateror the outgoing tide or ebb water, upon said motor, thereby rotatingsaid motor.

5. A combined lever wave-motor, and rotary wave-motor; means forconverging and concentrating the Waves and tides upon said motors andobtaining thereby a motion and power from each of said motors.

6. A combined lever wave-motorfand rotary wave-motor; means forconverging and concentrating both the incoming tide-Water, and theoutgoing tide or ebb water, upon said motors, thereby obtaining a motionand power from each of said motors.

7. A rotatable Wave-motor comprising an endless propeller-chain arrangedin a culvert, box or chute, and adapted to be rotated by the waves andtides.

8. A rotatable Wave-motor comprising an endless chain -of troughs orpropellers arranged in a culvert, box or chute, and adapted to berotatedby the incoming tide-water, or the outgoing tide or ebb Water.

9. A rotatable wave-motor comprising an endless vpropeller-chainarranged in a culvert, box or chute; means for converging andconcentrating the waves and tides upon said chain and thereby rotatingsaid motor.

10. A rotatable Wave-motor comprising an endless inclinedpropeller-chain arranged in -a culvert, box or chute; means forconverging and concentrating both the incoming and outgoing tides andwaves upon said troughs and thereby rotating said wave-motor.

11. A combined lever wave-motor and rotary wave-motor, comprisingculvert, box or chute; and an endless propeller-'chain arranged torotate within said culvert, box or chute; means for obtaining both alever motion and a rotary motion therefrom when actuated by the tidesand waves.

12. -A combined buoyant lever wave-motor and a rotary wave-motor,comprising a buoyant endless chain of troughs or propeller de- IOO IIO

sreceso tion and a rotary motion therefrom when actuated by the wavesand tides.

13. A box or chute provided with shafts or arms; guide rails or racks;guide grooves or rollers; a hoisting device; an endless chain of troughsor propeller devices arranged and adapted to form a rotatablewave-motor.

14. A box or chute provided with shafts or arms; guide rails or racks;guide grooves or rollers; a hoisting device; an endless chain oftroughs; all arranged and adapted to forni a combined lever and rotarywave-motor.

15. A box or chute, provided with a rotatable wave-motor, comprising anendless chain..

of troughs or propeller devices arranged and adapted to be actuated bythe waves and tides. V

16. A lever box or culvert wave-motor, provided with a rotatablewave-motor, comprising an endless chain of troughs or propeller devicesactuated by the waves and tides, as a combined lever and rotarywave-motor.

17. A culvert box, chute, or frame provided with a rotatable endlesschain of troughs, propeller arms or blades, and means for causing theinflow or outflow tide-water to pass over or under said troughs orpropeller devices, thereby actuating the same.

18. Aculvert, box, chute or frame provided with a rotatable propellerdevice, and means for causing the inflow or outiiow water to pass overor under said propeller device, thereby rotating it.

19. A culvert, box or chute, provided with a partition or wall, formingseparate passageways or channels, for the separate passage of the inflowand outflow tides and waves, said box or chute being arranged andadapted to form a lever wave-motor.

20. A culvert, box or chute, provided with a support, partition or wall;separate passage- Ways or channels; for the separate passage of theiniiow and outiiow tides and'Waves; rotatable propeller devices in saidpassageways; arranged and adapted to be actuated by theincoming andoutgoing waves and tides.

2l. Aculvert, box or chute, provided with rotatable propeller devicesarranged in separaie passage-ways or channels, for the separate passageof the intlow and outow tides and waves; said propeller devices beingactuated by the said waves andtides.

22. A culvert, box or chute, provided with rotatable endless-chainpropeller devices, arranged in separate passage-ways or channels, forthe separate passage of the infiow and outow tides and waves, saidpropeller devices being actuated by theincoming and outgoing waves andtides.

23. A lever culvert, box or chute, provided with rotatable propellerdevices, arranged in separate passage-ways or channels, for the separatepassage of the inflow and ontiiow waves and tides; said` box or chuteand said propeller devices being actuated by the incoming and outgoingwaves and tides, forming thereby a combined lever and rotary Wave-motor.

24. A lever culvert, box or chute, provided with rotatable chainpropeller devices, arranged in separate passage-ways or channels, oneabove the other, for the separate passage yof the inflow and oui flowwaves and tides;

series of combined lever wave motors, and

rotatable wave-motors arranged between said piers, and connected to saidpower mechanism; said wavefmotors being actuated by the Waves and tides,and thereby actuating said power mechanism.

26. A series of piers or supports for wavemotors'; convergingoonduits orpassage-ways for the passage of the waves and tides; a power mechanism;a series ot' combined lever wave motors and rotary wave motors,arrangedbetween and connectedto said piers, and to said power mechanism;said wave-` motors being actuated by the waves and tides,and therebyactuating said power mechanism.

27. A series of piers or supports for wavemotors; converging conduits orpassage-Ways for the passageof the Waves and tides;,a

power mechanism; aseries of combined buoyant Heating lever wave-motors,and rotary wave-motors, arranged between and connected to said piers,and to said power mechanism; said combined wave-motors being actuated-bythe Waves and tides, and thereby actuating said power mechanism.

28. A combined buoyant pendulum-lever Wave-motor and a rotarywave-motor, means for obtaining both a lever motion and a rotary motiontherefrom, when actuated by the waves and tides.

29. A box, frame or chute pivpted to a support and provided with apropeller or motor device, arranged and' adapted to be actuated by thewaves and tides, means for raising and lowering said box oi1 chute.

30. A box, frame or chutes pivoted to a support and provided with apropeller or motor device arranged and adapted to be actuated by theWavesand tides passing over, thro ugh or under said frame, box or chute.

31. A lever, box, frame or chute, arranged and adapted to converge thewaves and tides; a rotary mechanismfsecured to said lever box, or chute,arranged and adapted to be actuated by the waves and tides.

. 32. A frame, box or chute provided with an endless chain or apropeller device, all arranged and adapted to form a combined buoyant,Heating lever wave-motor and rotary wave-motor.

roo

33. A frame, box or chute, provided with an endless chain ora series offloats arranged and adapted to form a combined buoyant lever and arotary Wave-motor.

34. A lever box, frame or chute provided with a propeller device; meansfor causing the Waves and tides to pass through, over or under saidframe, box or chute, and thereby l tors, actuated by the Waves andtides.

37. A support or supports for a wave-motor; said support or supportsbeing arranged and adapted to form a dam or breakwater, provided withpassage-Ways; anendless chain or chains of propeller devices arranged insaid passage-Ways to form inclined treadmills, or overshot and undersbotendless-chain wavemotors actuated by lthe waves and tides.

38. A support or supports for a wave-mo tor; said support or supportsbeing arranged and-adapted to form a dam or breakwater, provided withconverging passage-Ways; and endless chain or chains of propellerdevices arranged in said passage-ways to form inclined treadmills, orovershot and undershot endless-chain Wave-motors, actuated by the Wavesand tides.

39. A Wave-motor arranged and adapted to be actuated by the Waves andlrides as an inclined treadmill or an overshot and undershot Wave-motor.

40. A Wave-motor comprising propeller devices arranged and adapted to beovershot and nndershot by the waves and tides.

41. A buoyant wave-motor comprising propeller devices arranged andadapted to be overshot and undershot by the Waves and tides.

42. A buoyant Wave-motor comprising propeller-devices arranged andadapted to form an inclined treadmill or an overshot and undershotwave-motor actuated by the Waves and tides.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature hereunto in the presence oftwo Witnesses.

GEORGE NOBLE-TODD.

Vitnesses:

JAMES P. CLARK, SUSIE M. GRAY.

